Then—
Every screen in the restaurant flickers.
Every comm unit chirps.
Every datapad lights up at once.
A new voice fills the air.
Flat.
Clinical.
Not human.
“Emergency Oversight Protocol Theta-Nine engaged. Data integrity breach detected. Initiating forced archival release.”
Kimberly whirls. “What the hell is that?”
I don’t answer.
Because I already know.
The walls fill with text.
Files.
Charts.
Medical scans.
Genetic models.
Behavioral projections.
My name is everywhere.
SUBJECT T-UR-019
DESIGNATION: REAPER VARIANT / CONTAINMENT STUDY
PROJECT: BOND-TRIGGER INSTABILITY RESPONSE
My stomach drops through the floor.
“No,” I whisper.
Kimberly’s datapad starts scrolling on its own.
She grabs it.
Her face drains of color.
“Tur,” she breathes. “What is this?”
The voice continues.
“Subject engineered for aggression amplification under emotional bonding stress. Genetic tuning optimized for loyalty-attachment volatility and threat-response escalation.”
